Materials Selection

Any library material selected in accordance with this policy shall be held to be selected by the Board of Library Trustees.

Library Objective

The overall objective of the public library is to provide library resources and services necessary to meet the educational, recreational and informational needs of all residents.

This Materials Selection Policy serves as a guide for library staff to grow and manage the library’s collection with respect to purchasing and to withdrawing materials. It assures that our customers will have access to materials which:

• enhance individuals’ ability to participate in their community by reflecting on and examining the diverse world in which we live;
• support the needs and continuing education of diverse populations including children, youth, older adults, non-English-speaking populations, adults learning to read and those with varying abilities;
• illuminate the past, explain the present and anticipate the future;
• spark imagination, support creativity and enhance leisure activities.

Responsibility for Selection

Final authority for the determination of the policies in this document is vested in the library’s Board of Trustees. The authority for the selection of library materials is delegated by the Board to the Calvert Library Executive Director, and under their direction, to the staff members who are qualified for this activity by reason of education, training and experience.

Advice of specialists in the community may be requested in fields in which the selector does not have sufficient expertise. Suggestions from the community are welcome and are given serious consideration within the general criteria for selection. The final decision for purchase rests with the library.

The Board of Library Trustees, or other governing body of the library, may not dismiss, suspend, discipline, demote, reassign, transfer or otherwise retaliate against an employee for performing their job duties consistent with this policy.

Criteria for Selection

The evaluation of materials is characterized by flexibility and a responsiveness to the changing needs of the residents of Calvert County. Materials are evaluated as a whole and not on the basis of a particular passage or passages. A work will not be excluded from the library’s collection because it presents an aspect of life honestly or because of frankness of expression. Selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may inadvertently come into the possession of children and adolescents. Materials selected primarily for children and adolescents will be marked accordingly.

General Criteria for Selection (materials selected will meet one or more of these criteria):

• Availability and suitability of the material’s format.
• Suitability of the subject, style and reading level for the intended audience.
• Recommendation by professionally recognized reviewing tools.
• Recognition for major professional awards.
• Reputation of the author, publisher or producer.
• Quality of design and illustration.
• Relevance to the present and potential needs of the community.
• Local interest or community value.
• Demand for the material.
• Relationship to existing materials in the collection on the same subject.
• Availability and accessibility of the same material in the State Library Network. Purchase of those materials that meet one or more of the above criteria may be limited due to budget constraints.

Collection Maintenance

Discarding

The weeding process is selection in reverse. The systematic withdrawal of materials which are no longer useful in maintaining an active, accurate, current collection is necessary. Library materials are discarded for one or more of the following reasons:

• Irreparably damaged or worn out
• Outdated information
• Insufficient use
• Lack of space available for housing materials

Replacement

Lost, damaged and worn-out materials are considered for replacement based on the following factors:

• Existence of adequate coverage of the subject in the library collection
• Public demand for the specific title
• Availability of the specific title

Donations

Donations of books and other materials in good condition are accepted with the understanding that they may be used in the collection, sold in a book sale to raise money for the library, re-distributed in the community or disposed of according to the needs of the library. New titles acquired in this manner are subject to the basic standards of selection. Replacements and duplicate copies are added to the collection if needed. The library does not provide evaluations of donations for tax deduction or other purposes.

Intellectual Freedom Endorsements

In approving this policy the Board of Library Trustees of Calvert County is in accordance with Maryland’s 2024 Freedom to Read Act, (Freedom to Read Act – Regulation printable) and has taken into favorable consideration the following statements from professional organizations regarding Intellectual Freedom all of which are appended to this policy.

• American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement
• Freedom to View
• The Library Bill of Rights

Materials Reconsideration

It is the goal of Calvert Library to provide a diverse, multifaceted collection representing a variety of viewpoints to allow all residents the freedom to read, listen and view as they see fit. Where there are differing opinions or theories, the library will provide materials on all viewpoints if they conform to the general criteria for selection. No material will be excluded because of the race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability, language or political views of the creator of the material or the characters therein. The library recognizes the diversity of community needs and interests and that the choice of library materials by a user is an individual matter. While one person may reject materials for themselves, they cannot exercise censorship to restrict access to materials by others. Responsibility for the reading of children and adolescents rests with their parents or legal guardians.

Once an item has been accepted as qualifying under the selection policies and criteria, it will not be removed at the request of those who disagree with it, except through the Materials Reconsideration Process or under the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.  Only residents of Calvert County Maryland, may submit a request for reconsideration.  During the Materials Reconsideration Process, the material will remain available for public use.

 

Materials Reconsideration Process

These steps are followed when a customer has a serious complaint about an item in the library collection.

1. The customer will receive a copy of the Materials Selection Policy that contains a Materials Reconsideration Form.

2. The customer will read the Materials Selection Policy. If, after review of the policy, the customer would like to fill out a Materials Reconsideration Form, the customer may do so and return the form to the library. The customer will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 3 business days. The material will continue to be made available for public use during the entire review process.

3. The purpose of the Materials Reconsideration Form is to ensure that the Executive Director understands the nature of the complaint.

4. Reconsideration requests will be handled one-at-a-time in order of receipt.

5. Library staff will seriously consider the complaint. The Executive Director will convene a panel of librarians that will read or view the material to determine whether or not it meets the criteria of the Materials Selection Policy.  After the panel makes a decision, the Executive Director will respond in writing to the complainant.  Each individual reconsideration process may take 2 months from beginning to end.

If a customer has received a reply to a Materials Reconsideration Form in writing and wants to appeal this decision to the Board of Library Trustees (Board), the customer must write the Executive Director to schedule an appearance before the Board.  The request for appeal must be received at the Library within thirty (30) days of the date of the reply.

The Board will add the appearance to the agenda during the next meeting unless the agenda has already been published, special guests are already on the agenda or urgent library business does not allow for additional agenda items.  If that is the case, the Board will provide time on the agenda during the next available month.

Customers may provide written documentation and may make statements.  Statements are limited to twenty (20) minutes.  The Board may then ask questions, provide comments, and conduct a discussion.  The Board meetings are public, but spectators may not participate in the discussion, only the appellant.

The Board will reply to the customer in writing within forty-five (45) days.

Previously Reviewed Items

In the event that a Material Reconsideration Form is filed on an item that has been previously reviewed by an Executive Director’s Panel, as a result of an earlier filing, the Executive Director may at his/her discretion, decline to convene another panel and may reply with a copy of the previous finding attached to a cover letter explaining the circumstances.

If the Board has heard an appeal of a decision of an Executive Director’s Review Panel concerning an item, and rendered a decision thereon, the Board may at its discretion decline to hear another appeal on the same item, and may reply with a letter explaining the circumstances.

Materials Selection Policy Approved by Board of Library Trustees: May 18, 1982

Materials Selection Policy Reaffirmed:  February 15, 1995

Appeals Process – Approved by the Board of Library Trustees October 21, 2008

Materials Selection Policy Updated: September 12, 2017

Materials Selection Policy Revised October 17, 2023

Appeals Process integrated with Materials Selection Policy and Revised April 15, 2025